EVs can be hard on tires. On the bottom-end Leaf I had for 2 years, I ground thru the “rated 60,000 miles” tires in 19,000 miles ... which proved to be a poor choice in manufacturing; replace them with “EV rated” tires, which lasted much better. Electric motors have extremely high torque, wearing tires fast.
The article refers to a rental vehicle. A such the novelty of extreme acceleration was probably used far beyond what a normal driver would do, having gotten over the “OMG this is fast!” thrill and paid for a set or two of replacements.
So yeah tires are a notable cost, but not as bad as the article depicts.
Thanks for a well-thought out reply.